Other Visa Options

1. Introduction:

A visa is a conditional authorization granted by the state to a foreigner, allowing them to enter, remain within, or leave that territory. Visas typically may include limits on the duration of the foreigner's stay, areas within the country they may enter, the dates they may enter, the number of permitted visits, or an individual's right to work in the country in question. A visa is subject to entry permission by an immigration official at the time of actual entry and can be revoked at any time. A visa most commonly takes the form of a sticker endorsed in the applicant's passport or other travel documents.

India has the 84th most powerful passport in the world as per the Henley Passport Index.

2. Types of Visa:

• a. Visa-free - Visa-free travel is the benefit where you can visit a country without having to apply for a visa. This is applicable if the two countries in question have an agreement for the same, or if the country one is visiting has opened its borders to foreign nationals unilaterally.
• b. Visa on Arrival - It is known as an on-arrival visa, these are granted to a visitor at the port of entry. The entire process of issuing the visa is initiated and completed at the port of entry by government authorities.
• c. E-Visa - Official documents issued online by a country’s immigration official that grants visitors permission to enter it. These are an alternative to the regular paper-based visas that are issued by a country’s embassy.
• d. Entry Permit - Countries issue entry permits to their visitors in lieu of visas. These entry permits are documents that allow foreigners to enter and stay in the country legally for a certain period of time.

3. Visa facility for Indian Nationals (ordinary passport holders):

• a. Foreign countries which provide e-Visa facilities to Indian nationals
  • i. Armenia
  • ii. Azerbaijan
  • iii. Bahrain
  • iv. Barbados
  • v. Benin
  • vi. Cambodia
  • vii. Colombia
  • viii. Cote D' IVoire
  • ix. Djibouti
  • x. Ethiopia
  • xi. Georgia
  • xii. Guinea
  • xiii. Kazakhstan
  • xiv. Kenya
  • xv. Kyrgyzstan Republic
  • xvi. Lesotho
  • xvii. Malaysia
  • xviii. Moldova
  • xix. Myanmar
  • xx. New Zealand
  • xxi. Papua New Guinea
  • xxii. Russian Federation
    (specific areas of Far Eastern Federal District, Kaliningrad, Leningrad regions, and St. Petersburg Regions of Russian Federation)
  • xxiii. Saint Lucia
  • xxiv. Saint Vincent and Grenadines
  • xxv. Singapore
  • xxvi. South Korea
  • xxvii. Sri Lanka
  • xxviii. Suriname
  • xxix. Taiwan
  • xxx. Tajikistan
  • xxxi. Tanzania
  • xxxii. Thailand
  • xxxiii. Uganda
  • xxxiv. Uzbekistan
  • xxxv. Vietnam
  • xxxvi. Zambia
• b. Foreign countries which provide Visa-free entry to Indian citizens
  • i. Barbados
  • ii. Bhutan
  • iii. Dominica
  • iv. Grenada
  • v. Haiti
  • vi. Hong Kong SAR
  • vii. Maldives
  • viii. Mauritius
  • ix. Montserrat
  • x. Nepal
  • xi. Niue Island
  • xii. Saint Vincent & the Grenadines
  • xiii. Samoa
  • xiv. Senegal
  • xv. Serbia
  • xvi. Trinidad & Tobago
• c. Foreign countries which provide Visa-on-Arrival entry to Indian citizens
  • i. Angola
  • ii. Bolivia
  • iii. Cabo Verde
  • iv. Cambodia
  • v. Cameroon Union Republic
  • vi. Cook Islands
  • vii. Djibouti
  • viii. Ethiopia
  • ix. Fiji
  • x. Guinea Bissau
  • xi. Indonesia
  • xii. Iran
  • xiii. Jamaica
  • xiv. Jordan
  • xv. Kenya
  • xvi. Kiribati
  • xvii. Laos
  • xviii. Madagascar
  • xix. Mauritania
  • xx. Mongolia
  • xxi. Myanmar
  • xxii. Nigeria
  • xxiii. Niue Island
  • xxiv. Qatar
  • xxv. Republic of Marshall Islands
  • xxvi. Reunion Island
  • xxvii. Rwanda
  • xxviii. Saint Kitts & Nevis
  • xxix. Saint Lucia
  • xxx. Samoa
  • xxxi. Senegal
  • xxxii. Seychelles
  • xxxiii. Somalia
  • xxxiv. Sri Lanka
  • xxxv. Suriname
  • xxxvi. Tajikistan
  • xxxvii. Tanzania
  • xxxviii. Thailand
  • xxxix. Tunisia
  • xl. Tuvalu
  • xli. Vanuatu
  • xlii. Vietnam
  • xliii. Zimbabwe

4. OCI (Overseas Citizen Of India ):

• a. What is OCI - Overseas Citizenship of India (OCI) is a form of permanent residency available to people of Indian origin and their spouses which allows them to live and work in India indefinitely.
• b. Who is eligible for OCI - The Government of India, on the application, may register any person as an Overseas Citizen of India, if the person:
  • i. was a citizen of India on 26 January 1950 or at any time thereafter; or
  • ii. belonged to a territory that became part of India after 15 August 1947; or
  • iii. was eligible to become a citizen of India on 26 January 1950; or
  • iv. is a child or a grandchild or a great-grandchild of such a citizen; or
  • v. is a minor child of such persons mentioned above; or
  • vi. are a minor child whose both parents are citizens of India or one of the parents is a citizen of India; or
  • vii. is a spouse of foreign origin of a citizen of India or spouse of foreign origin of an Overseas Citizen of India Cardholder registered under section 7A of the Citizenship Act, 1955 and whose marriage has been registered and subsisted for a continuous period of not less than two years immediately preceding the presentation of the application
  • viii. A person, who or either of whose parents or grandparents or great grandparents is or had been a citizen of Pakistan & Bangladesh, is ineligible for registration as an Overseas Citizen of India.
  • ix. Has served as a member of any foreign military and is ineligible to receive an OCI card.

Revoking the OCI card

The OCI card of a person can be revoked if it was obtained fraudulently, receives a lengthy prison sentence within 5 years of gaining the card, or for international security reasons.

5. Conclusion:

If you are an Indian then you can make your career in almost more than 15 countries by taking advantage of a free visa. You can earn money and if you want you can stay there for a long time.